The Primal Hunter

Jake landed on top of the barn as he looked through a broken rooftop window. He saw even more bovines inside, but they weren’t the first thing he noticed. It was the huge creature standing on top of an elevated platform, looking straight back at him.

”So, you are the one who’s been tracking me?” it asked in a rough voice.

Jake saw no reason to hide as he leaped through the window and landed just inside – standing in mid-air.

He saw a hulking Minotaur standing on what looked like a small stage, wearing simple garbs and wielding a staff. It was a bit over three meters tall, with curling bronze horns extending from its head. It looked quite familiar to the creature he had imagined, and his Identify made him aware that this was very likely the creature he had been tracking.

[Minotaur Mindchief – lvl ???]

”That would be me,” Jake answered as he stared down at the monster. He could feel its presence and get an estimate of it as he considered if he could fight it… stronger than the Thunder Roc and Storm Elemental… but differently.

But his intuition and danger sense didn’t scream at him or warn him like when he faced truly powerful enemies… yet he still had some reservations.

”Did you enjoy my work? It was… liberating to do,” the Minotaur said as it smiled up at him. ”I sincerely hope you can appreciate it. It is rare to find one who walks the same path.”

Jake looked confused down at the monster but decided to play along. He felt like there was some kind of misunderstanding, and if he could exploit that, he was more than willing to.

”It wasn’t exactly my style,” he answered.

”To crush the humans is something one should take pleasure in, is it not? Those accursed monkeys are now but prey to us,” the Minotaur chuckled as he motioned towards the back of the room.

Jake had already noticed them before, but looking at the cages at the back wall closer still made him frown.

There had to be at least a hundred people stashed into small cages, lined up neatly. All of them stood, sat, or were on the ground, their eyes totally blank as they just stared into empty space - all under the mental influence of the Mindchief.

”A bit crude and unnecessary,” Jake answered, a bit of contempt leaking into his voice.

”Hah, one of efficiency I see,” the Minotaur chuckled, not at all offended. ”But what other reason but pleasure is there to slay these monkeys? They are inferior now, remnants of the past to be crushed and forgotten.”

Jake frowned a bit again as he finally put two and two together. It thinks I am a monster, one that kills weaker humans as it does.

It… honestly shouldn’t be that surprising. While Jake did look humanoid, the only actual body part visible was two beastly eyes. The two wings on his back were surely not helping him look human either. He couldn’t even be Identified, making it even less obvious what race he was.

As to why it believed he hunted humans… well, because he had plenty of human blood on him. The girl he carried earlier hadn’t exactly been clean, and he had also come into contact with plenty of blood as he chased down the monster in front of him.

I can use this, but…

”Awfully talkative,” Jake said, wondering quite a bit about that part. While it didn’t exactly fall into the trope of the evil villain explaining his plans, it was pretty damn close.

It is not often one encounters other sapients, much less ones able to speak. Even fewer again, those that do not attack at first sight,” the Minotaur

barn with pity. They were all just standing there, sometimes bumping into their neighbor or looking at the ground for signs of food. They didn’t act differently from normal bulls, and the normal cows

a very antisocial person, Jake couldn’t really relate to the constant need some people felt for companionship many had, but he could understand it. People were just built

animals. So… had the poor genocidal Minotaur really just

in cages?” he asked the Minotaur. If the overgrown cow wanted to

asked,” the Minotaur said, and Jake was

suddenly turned murderous as he roared. ”MY KIND! SOLD AS ITEMS TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER! TO BE SLAUGHTERED

day. I was forced to breed; my life and the life of my kind treated as if we weren’t even alive. Born with our only fates being to bring

cattle and we the lords of their lives and deaths. The humans are weak now… while we are strong. Now is the time to strike fear into their hearts and claim our place at

its need to kill a few humans and farmers based on how the farming industry tended to treat cattle, but on the other

didn’t need to humiliate or torture. This Minotaur was clearly different, as it seemingly wanted to crush the entire human race… an

human settlement in the plains then? Plenty of them there to go kill, but instead, you have sent your kin there to die,” Jake asked, genuinely interested to know the answer to

the monster smiled. ”I need them

”By killing your kin?”

failed ones. Those who reach their limits and can no longer progress… their fates are to wait for death anyway, better for them to help the next generation. A herd too large can be detrimental, and it is only right to weed it out for the

Herd Leaders outside as

of them do so. Let the human settlement become the feast that shall be the birth of another D-grade. The first of

it finally turned

join my herd,

I do that?”

that you have yet to cross the crevice… is it not an honor to serve those more powerful? I sense your power, but that final step is not easy. I would be more than happy to have a sapient companion join

show even a single sign of aggression, and while he wasn’t sure how it would react if he rejected, its offer at least seemed sincere. Heck, it hadn’t

could even recognize that Jake was still in E-grade, and all logic dictated that the Minotaur was stronger than him. Jake felt like at least giving the creature a proper answer… knowing what was to

than yourself… without going into moral

it the smartest thing to do? No. Would it be way smarter to get in a good sneak attack? For sure. But Jake had decided to show the monster the basic fucking decency

Mindchief said, looking up at him with a confused expression. ”Impossible… humans are weak, feeble creatures. You carry the

a high level of variance. Some humans are weak; some are strong. Some are cruel; some are kind. To blame the entire human race is just stupid; quite a few humans in the old world were even fighting for your kind,” Jake said, as he made a light smile and made his mask invisible. ”Veganism was on

confusion before its facial expression changed. From the rather kind-looking smile and welcoming demeanor, its eyes got a red sheen

dispelled the mana on his feet,

limited path with no future, far too confined. You don’t need more power to do what you wanted… satisfied to stay in this small area. It was a path with only one ending… stagnation

upwards, he stopped only a hundred meters up as he began channeling Infused Powershot. He had marked the monster with Mark of the Ambitious Hunter before he

figure suddenly appeared in his sphere from behind – the Minotaur. His Mark told him it still stood unmoving inside the building below… but he

down, as he turned and saw… nothing. With his eyes, that is. He dodged another swipe from the staff as he fired a blast of mana from his

snapshotted to the figure in front of him… making him aware it indeed was the same

fight is already over?” a voice echoed

the pain moments after, as he felt his insides boil and several holes opened up all over his body, spewing